'Jacare' expects surgery on elbow, would reluctantly take Rockhold rematch

JARAGUA DO SUL, Brazil – Middleweight Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza powered through an elbow injury suffered in training for his UFC Fight Night 36 co-headliner with Francis Carmont, but he’ll now need surgery to repair the damage.

Souza (20-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who beat Carmont (22-8 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in a unanimous decision, afterward told MMAjunkie he needs arthroscopic surgery and will likely be on the shelf for six weeks. He didn’t say when he planned to undergo the procedure.

“I’m going to have to clean my arm out of these [bone] fragments,” he said at the event’s post-fight presser.

UFC Fight Night 36 took place at Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul, Brazil. The event’s main card, including Souza vs. Carmont, aired live on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

Of course, Souza’s self-appointed timeline isn’t much different than one following a hard-fought decision. He struggled in the second round to contain the Georges St-Pierre trained fighter’s striking, and pulled ahead on scorecards by utilizing his world-class grappling skills. The final tally was 29-28 thrice.

“I had no difficulty because of the injury,” Souza said. “I mentioned that I had a lot of [bone] fragments in my left arm, and some people said that I shouldn’t fight. I asked the UFC to trust me; I asked my physicians if I could fight, and they told me that I had a good chance of fighting, so that’s what I believed in.”

Souza said he was restricted to working his legs and boxing for over a month of training during his fight preparation. He said his teammates helped him train and he was “100 percent confident” walking into the cage.

Carmont had won six straight prior to the setback, while Souza earned his third straight win following his crossover from the now-defunct Strikeforce, where he once held the belt.

Souza now appears on the cusp of title consideration in the UFC, though his next career move is unclear. At the press conference, however, he was hesitant to welcome a bout with Luke Rockhold, who three years ago took his Strikeforce belt and recently rebounded after a debut loss to current contender Vitor Belfort.

“Yeah, it’s OK,” Souza said. “If the UFC thinks that’s what’s good, that’s it. When I think about Belfort hitting him, that’s what happens. If you come to Brazil, we will hit you. I think he’s way below in the rankings, but if the UFC thinks that has to be done, I’ll do it. I’ll prove I’m better than he is.”

After the announcement of his win, he told UFC announcer Jon Anik that he wants a shot at the title. But ultimately, he’s got to be happy his doctors gave him the all-clear. His current win streak now stands at six.

TORONTO – MMAjunkie is on scene and reporting live from today’s early and official UFC 206 fighter weigh-ins, which kick off at 9 a.m. ET (6 a.m. PT). Join us for a live video stream and official results.

ALBANY, N.Y. – MMAjunkie is on scene and reporting live from today’s UFC Fight Night 102 event at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y., which kicks off at 5:45 p.m. ET (2:45 p.m. PT). You can discuss the event here.